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no character in his founds; the painter may, in a long feries of a multitude of pieces, paint the chief actions of Hector's life; but this is a fuppofition too extended, it is beyond his art to interest us in his favour, by difplaying all the amiable traits in his character, and his very fentiments on particular cccafions. This is the poet's province; and from fuch a combination of images, and fuch a variety of ftrokes, he interests us to fuch a degree for him as to have our paffions at his command. There are several ftrokes in Lear, which are yet more to my purpose. The reader re-. collects that pathetic one, "I gave you all!" which painting could not exprefs otherwife, than by giving the old man a very moving countenance, which must be expreflive of a great many dif

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ferent emotions; the painter could not vary the features for both that and another" Pray do not mock me," and alfo feveral others, all effentially diffe

rent.

2. Painting is fuperior to either, in the reprefentation of any perfonages unaffected by paffions, or the delineation of an emotion or paffion, which difplays itfelf in a characteristical, immediate, and peculiar manner in the countenance, in confequence of an action.

Several inftances of this may be produced, particularly in defcription. I apprehend the finest in the world cannot equal Titian's naked Venus lying on a bed, holding a branch of flowers in one hand, the other falling negligently before her. The fight of this picture warms

the

the paffions far more than any defcrips tion; and the imitation of painting will always be most perfect, in the reprefentation of fingle figures employed in an action not complex; for inftead of imitating by words, which are but figns of our ideas, it prefents the object immediately to our fenfes. Venus attiring by the graces, &c. &c. are therefore fubjects more proper for painting than poetry; and in refpect of the delineation of paffion, a woman taken in adultery, as it exhibits the fudden furprize, fhame, and that mixture of pas fions, which strictly rifes in the guilty mind, and show themselves in the face, is quite in the province of painting: Sufannah appearing to anfwer the charge of adultery gave Monf. Coypel an opportunity of expreffing a certain noblenefs

The choice of Paris,

of

of foul, an innocence and tranquillity in her countenance, which poetry could not reach. Alexander looking at his phyfician, and drinking the potion, is another of the painter's fubjects.

3. Mufic can only imitate certain emotions and paffions, but can give no idea of character: when used to raise thofe affections in the mind to which its genius is adapted, it is fuperior in its effects to either poetry or painting.

To explain this affertion, I fhould obferve, that we muft not expect any minute diftinctions of paffion (as pity from benevolence, &c. &c.) in the feveral imitations of mufic; but if the disturbed, unfettled, and unhappy mind is to be lulled into a placid ferenity, neither poetry nor painting is near fo likely to effect VOL. II.

L

it

it as mufic; the delicate, foft, tender tones of melting harmony, diffipate even grief itself, and lap the foul into an elyfium of tranquillity *.-If the enfeebled melancholy mind is to be roufed from its low ftate, the blood to flow with ra

Breathe the divine enchanting ravishment
Of love; and in a pleafing flumber lull
The foften'd fenfes.

Eft-il un art plus aimable que la mufique ? En eft-il un qui regne plus puiffamment & plus agréablement fur nos ames? Elle eleve, elle anime, elle effraye, elle touche, elle attrifte, elle égaye; elle agite avec violence, elle émeut avec douceur: Arbitre de nos paffions, fource perpetuelle de nos innocens plaifirs. Les anciens peignoient la beauté accompagnée de trois graces. Sans doute, l'une fourioit, l'autre danfoit ; & la plus aimable de toutes meloit les fons d'un luth flatteur à une voix brillante. Socrate meme céderoit à Venus quand elle unit les accens d'Erato aux accords enchanteurs d'Euterpe. Confiderations fur les Révolutions des Arts, par Metugan, p. 232.

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